1. Field of the Disclosure
This application relates generally to the surface mount of electronic components onto a printed circuit board by employing a wave soldering process, and more particularly to a latch and seal mechanism that is configured to ensure an oxygen-free environment during the wave soldering process.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In the fabrication of printed circuit boards, electronic components can be mounted to a printed circuit board by a process known as “wave soldering.” In a typical wave solder machine, a printed circuit board is moved by a conveyor on an inclined path past a fluxing station, a pre-heating station, and finally a wave soldering station. At the wave soldering station, a wave of solder is caused to well upwardly (by means of a pump) through a wave solder nozzle and contact portions of the printed circuit board to be soldered. As used herein, the term “circuit board” or “printed circuit board,” as used herein, includes any type of substrate assembly of electronic components, including, for example, wafer substrates.
The wave soldering process has recently advanced by transitioning from traditional tin-lead solder to lead-free materials. These new soldering materials have reduced the process windows to the point that some processes now require pre-heating in an oxygen-free environment to prevent oxide formation on solder joints prior to the soldering process. Prior pre-heater assemblies lack the ability to hinge down to decompress a seal and remove contact between the pre-heater and the seal. Prior seals were typically attached by adhesives or mechanical fasteners, and thus are not easily replaced.